Photograph:
A Waspair Tomcat on display in the United States fitted with floats (www.ultralightnews.com)
Country of origin:
Great Britain
Description:
Single-seat ultralight aircraft
Power Plant:
One 22 kw (30 hp) Cuyuna 430 [339 cc] two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 9.14 m (30 ft)
- Wing area: 16.25 m² (175 sq ft)
- Max speed: 101 km/h (63 mph)
- Cruising speed: 72 km/h (45 mph)
- Stalling speed: 42 km/h (26 mph)
- Rate of climb: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Empty weight: 107 kg (235 lb)
- Loaded weight: 270 kg (595 lb)
History:
The Tomcat was an ultralight design of canard configuration designed and produced in the United Kingdom by Waspair and later produced in the United States by Midwest Microlites. The aircraft was supplied in kit form for amateur construction.
It made its first flight in 1980 and was designed to meet US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicle Rules, having an empty weight of 115 kg (254 lb). It had a high-wing supported by dihedral stabilisers, had a single seat with an open cockpit and had a tricycle undercarriage, the engine being in the pusher configuration. The canard surfaces were mounted to the front of the main keel tube and this also served as the fuselage. It was said the control system was inadequate and the aircraft suffered a number of loss-of-control accidents.
The aircraft had a two-axis control system in which the canard controlled the pitch and roll, there being no rudder. Eventually an improved variant known as the Pintail was introduced and this had control surfaces on the trailing edge of the dihedral stabilisers. Variants included the Tomcat Standard, Tomcat Sport, Tomcat Tourer and the Haynes Pintail.
A small number are believed to have been imported to this region, and at least one survives in Western Australia.